A Long Overdue Revisit to Chelas Mexican Grill - CLOSED

Chelas Mexican Grill

29975 Alicia Parkway

Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

After I visit a restaurant, I very rarely go back unless it rocks my world or is close to where I reside. I have it in the back of my mind that I want to get to 1000 different restaurant reviews before I even think about taking a break from writing this restaurant blog. Just for the record, I'm sitting at 878 restaurants, and no, this one will not add to that total because I've already eaten at Chelas Mexcian Grill.  

It seemed like eons ago, back in 2011 when I first visited Chelas, located in the Albertson's shopping center near the corner of Alicia and Crown Valley Parkway when it opened that year. I admit that I was not too thrilled with that visit. They used lots of lettuce and cheese; the meats could have been more prominent. I shied away from a return until fate stepped in recently. 

I entered an Instagram contest for a Taco Kit on the Chelas and TacoTuesday.com pages, which fed 6 to 8 people. Against all odds, I won one of the two Taco Kits they gave away. I could have kept it all for myself and Katie, but I had a great idea to share it with some of my so-called hard-working co-workers. Since Chelas is located within ten minutes of where we work, it would work perfectly to grab it on a recent Wednesday. 

Chela's Mexican Grill is owned by Karla and Art Vasquez, with a notable assist from Art's mom, Roselia, who provided and taught her recipes to the couple during her legendary Saturday afternoon cookouts. Unfortunately, Roselia passed in 2005, but her memory lives on from the food made inside the kitchen at this tiny Mexican eatery. Chelas gets a respectable 4-star rating on Yelp, won a few awards over the last decade, and has been a fixture at many community events. I was excited to share my bounty with my friends at work and see what I've been missing in the nine years since I've last been to Chelas.  

No problems with pickup at Chelas, as everything was prepared, nicely wrapped, and ready at our agreed-upon 11am time. The Taco Kit  ($60) included two pounds of chicken, guacamole, rice, beans, a good-sized salad, tortillas, salsa, tortilla chips, chopped onion, and cilantro. Everything you would need to make your own tacos and feed 6 to 8 hungry people. My co-workers are a little hungrier than most, so I also got a pound of carnitas, just for good measure. Let's take a closer look at what we consumed before heading back to work.  

I was focused on the tacos while driving back to work. But don't sleep on this California salad. It included some fresh romaine, black beans, roasted corn, queso fresco, and sliced avocado. With the provided ranch dressing this salad was light, yet flavorful, I really enjoyed the way the beans, corn, and cheese provided little pockets of flavor throughout each forkful.  

Here's what made this a pretty good day at work: the Taco Kit and the extra pound of carnitas I purchased. Unlike my last visit nine years ago, the chicken and carnitas stood out. I usually avoid chicken in restaurants because they tend to overcook it, but this hit the sweet spot. The chicken was moist, tender, and spiced well. It made some delicious tacos. The carnitas was just the way I like it, some pieces were crispy, while others had a little bit of fattiness to them which helps with flavor. The guacamole and salsa were on point. The refried beans were a tad on the watery side but tasted delicious. There was not much wrong with this taco kit.   

I'm thrilled that I won this Taco Kit from Chelas. Not only did it help make me popular at work, at least for one day, but it also made me realize what I was missing by not eating at Chelas for the last nine years. Since we live so close, I will try more things off their menu soon. I may get another taco kit, which will be good when I win poker and have to feed the guys. 

Thanks so much to the great people at Chelas and Taco Tuesday for sponsoring this contest. I'm very grateful that I won and could share it with my friends at work. I'm glad I could introduce them to some good Mexican food around where we work for a change. Chelas gained some new fans on that recent Wednesday and won a spot in our rotation for lunch. 

For more information about Chelas Mexican Grill, head to their website here: https://chelasmexicangrill.com/